Rabalais: Gardening in the heat and humidity

Gardening in this hot, humid weather is not exactly fun unless you try to get it done early morning or late evening. I'm very thankful that we've had some rain which has cooled off the soil a little. Right now is a good time to look closely at your garden and see what is growing well, what is cluttering your other plants, and what you just plain don't care for.

If you fall in any of these categories and want to make your garden look better, get rid of some of those old, non-blooming annuals now. I tried the crowded look by sowing seeds of various plants. This was a mixture of seeds and they were crowding out my roses, taking way too much space and some blooming very little. Those I've pulled out and put in the compost pile. Some of the zinnias are doing well, so I've left them alone. The huge sunflower plant in the middle of my rose garden did bloom profusely and reached about 16 feet in height, but it was crowding out my roses, so down it came. If you save sunflowers, save the flowers until they dry out for the birdies. They'll love you.

If you have spots in your garden that need perking up with annuals, you can still plant them provided you keep them well watered. Personally, I like to use the bigger bags of garden soil to help replace the nutrients that were spent on the flowers pulled up. Some of those have moisture control in their garden soil which I really find helpful.

A classic foliage plant for shade is Caladium. Whether you grow it on its own or in combination with ferns, hostas and impatiens, it provides months of color. Popular selections offer large green and white leaves, red leaves, red and green leaves and a lime green. Your choices are many and varied. If you're looking for reliable flowering annuals that are adaptable to full shade or half sun, try the Wishbone flower known as Torenia.

The snapdragon-like blooms both the Catalina series (mounding types) and trailing types like the Summer Wave series, come in a wide range of colors including yellow, blue, pink, white and purple. Other shade flowers include begonias (wax, angel wing and tuberous types) and silver bells.

A vigorous trailer with bright chartreuse foliage, the Sweet Potato vine (Ipomoea "Illusion' Emerald Lace works well in the landscape or in large containers. For height, try Dracaena spikes, Cordyline indivisia and Summer snapdragon (though I can't say I've seen the latter two.) Grasses add motion to a large garden and Pennisetum "Fireworks," Variegated Purple Fountain Grass will light up your landscape all summer and well into the fall. Pair "Firework" with different selections of Lantana or creeping Zinnias that like the heat and the drought-resistant "Zahara" series. Wave petunias are great for covering large areas both in the ground and in pots. Celosia and Gomphrena take the heat and make great cut flowers, too. I've seen the latter two in various home and garden stores.

Annuals offer an easy and cost effective way to provide to provide color to your landscape, be it in the ground or in containers and will provide color for weeks. More annuals to beat the heat include: Cleome (sun), Blue Daze (will grow just about anywhere you want it and don't want it), Gingers for sun or part shade. Those may be available in the Central Louisiana nurseries. Hibiscus loves sun but read the label to ascertain whether they're annuals or perennials. I've seen those in the home and garden centers locally as well as Pentas and Marigolds.

For those of you who like to try bulbs such as tulips may want to peruse the Internet and in most instances, can order now but won't be charged until the bulbs are sent in late fall. It's been years since I've tried my hand with tulips but, based on the cold we get (such as like last year) I am going to try some again this year. Van Bourgondien (www.dutch

bulbs.com, 1-800-622-9997) have just sent out their fall catalog. If you order $50 worth of bulbs, plants, etc., you get $25 taken off your total which is a nice savings. I have my eye on a few tulips one of which is Parrot Tulip 'Blumex' which has a myriad of colors and textures in each bloom. Red, orange, yellow, purple, yellow, green and even a faint blush of blue streak and swirl over every ruffled and curled petal. To get the $25 discount, you must order before August 19. They also stock fragrant tulips and the one I'm looking at right now is "Peach Melba" with pink outer petals with a flare of green; peachy apricot center petals. They grow 12 inches tall and the bulb size is 12+ cm. There are many wonderful selections, such as foxtail lilies, daffodils, peonies, however, be sure if you make a selection, note whether or not it will grow in Zone 8, irises, amaryllis, and many more.

I like to plant the regular plain old petunias sold in 6 packs in late fall. These have rewarded me with tons of blooms in the fall and then they "sleep and rest" and grow back in the spring, at least these did for me. Plant them in full sun and water till they're well rooted, which is true of just about any plant, shrub or tree.

I hope you have enjoyed this article. My Email address is lillyr

@suddenlink.net. Please don't hesitate to write. Happy Gardening!

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Rabalais: Gardening in the heat and humidity

Gardening in this hot, humid weather is not exactly fun unless you try to get it done early morning or late evening. I'm very thankful that we've had some rain which has cooled off the soil a little.